SA’s woeful psychiatric system fails millions
Scores of mentally ill patients are not accessing appropriate care due to lack of adequate state funding, writes Tamar Kahn
Mental illness is often described as the Cinderella of healthcare: neglected, shamed and starved of attention. Nowhere is that more true than in SA, where rich and poor struggle to get the care they need. The starkest example is the Gauteng health department’s shameful transfer of psychiatric patients from Life Esidimeni hospital to ill-equipped non-governmental organisations in 2016, in an apparent attempt to cut costs. That decision led to the deaths of 94 patients due to hunger, dehydration and neglect — some within days of having been moved. There are gaping holes in the safety net for people with mental health conditions, ranging from substance abuse and anxiety to severe illnesses, such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Overwhelmed clinics with poorly trained staff often fail to diagnose mental illness; state-employed psychiatrists and psychologists are in short supply; government hospitals don’t have enough beds for acutely ill patients; and clinics frequently run short ...
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